The King and Queen of Hearts
by emerald-eyed-stag
Summary: The Maruders and Lily descided to play poker...the rest, as they say, is history. One Shot, LJ, this is the answer to a challenge posted by evilevergreen. Hope that you all like it.


**Hey! This has NOTHING TO DO WITH ANY OF MY OTHER FICS; EVEN THOUGH IT HAS THE EXACT SAME CHARACTERS just thought you ought to know. Oh, it's for this challenge thing that I'm doing, set by evilevergreen, on pinocchio's forum. **

**It was lots of fun, even though it's probably not very good! The challenge was that we needed to include 2 games of poker, and a lot of other things, and some lines as well. Hope that you like it!**

**A/N: oh yeah, I fixed the evans/potter mistake. I was pretty stupid actualy, i typed 'pooter' into the find and change tool, and then i went back and read, and a couple of times it sed james evans, so THAT was stupid, but neways, its done now. -ella xXx**

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"Alright, my house, my rules." James potter said, glaring around at his friends with a mischievous look in his eye. "The game is No-Limit Taxas Hold 'Em. Deuces wild, unless you have ducks, I deal all games, so don't expect a Berry Patch." 

Peter Petigrew creased his forehead in confusion. "Is that English?" he asked, his squeaky voice even higher than usual for fear that one of his idols were going slightly insane.

"No my friend, that's poker." Said Sirius Black, slapping Peter on the back jovially, as James dealt the cards.

Remus Lupin rolled his eyes at James.

"This is not you're house Prongs, this is a bloody dormitory. We all live here."

"No, I was referring to the fact that we are sitting on my bed."

"Oh, well that's ok then." Said Remus sarcastically.

"You know how to play though, don't you Peter?" James asked, raising his eyebrow sceptically at the small boy, who was sitting on the bed opposite him. Peter Petigrew's face rose with colour, and he nodded.

"Of course I do! Who doesn't know how to play poker?"

Sirius and James exchanged exasperated looks. Peter wasn't that good at lying, and it was obvious that they were going to have to walk him through the game.

"You know…" Sirius thought out loud, after the first game, when the pile of galleons and Honeydukes chocolate in front of James had risen to an amazing hight, "When you think about it, poker is sort of like Quidditch…"

"How the hell do you two do that?" Remus asked, as James nodded in mild agreement with Sirius.

"Do what?" asked Sirius.

"Manage to relate everything that we do back to Quidditch?" he said, snorting at the thoughtful look on James face as he contemplated the sport.

"Remus, was it just me, or did you just come dangerously close to insulting Quidditch?" Sirius asked, aghast, as James looked toughly offended.

"I think the latter, but seriously Sirius, how the hell do you get that?"

"Well…" Sirius said slowly, looking down at his hand to try and come up with what he thought sounded like an intelligent answer.

"The black cards! I guess that they're bludgers, and I guess that the bad hands are what you want to dodge too, sort of like bludgers…"

"Go on," Said Remus in mock cheerfulness, finding the conversation comical.

"And well, the red cards…"

"I guess they're the quaffles right?" said Remus wearily.

James' eyes widened. "Did you just say quaffleS? As in you thought that there were TWO? Remus, do you even know Quidditch at all?"

"Of course I do." Remus sighed. "But where's the snitch?"

Sirius grinned down at the loot of golden coins that sat by his knees.

"Well Moony my fried, the game ends when you catch the snitch, doesn't it?" he said, throwing the gold into the air and catching it skilfully again as it fell back to earth. Remus rolled his eyes.

"Oh don't do that, you looked like James used to when Lily's around."

"Someone said my name?" Lily said, coming into the room and plonking herself down on James' bed. It was quite crowded now, and it was even more so when her two best friends, Ella Jones and Dani Doyle came in after her, and sat themselves down near Sirius and Remus. Both of them liked the marauders, but they were early in their seventh year, and seeing as Lily had just decided that James Potter might not actually be the ignorant chaser that he had hidden behind for the rest of their schooling, they were playing it safe and the seven of them were sticking to the pretence that they were just all good friends.

"What you boys doing?" asked Lily, leaning across the bed to pick up a piece of chocolate that was on top of James pile and eating it. Remus opened his mouth to answer, but James cut him off, a stroke of brilliance coming through his slightly perverted mind.

"We're playing STRIP POKER!" James declared. The girls were so busy looking disgusted to notice that the other guys were looking at him in shock and horror.

"Um, just the four of you?" Lily asked, laughing slightly.

"Actually ladies, we were hoping that you would join us!"

"And why would we want to do that?" Ella asked, laughing. Sirius looked at Dani, and grinned.

"The chance to win lots of chocolate and money…"

"Hit me!" Dani said, sitting up straighter and looking around at the boys. Peter whacked her over the head.

"OW! You idiot, it's a poker word!"

"Well then why don't you just say give me a card?" he asked, edging away from Sirius.

"Because that would sound stupid, and inexperienced, like you" she said, giggling.

Lily rolled her eyes.

"I guess it could be kind of fun." Said Ella, stepping up to play. Lily sat there, stationary. Ella grinned, and whispered in her ear very quietly… "James without a shirt on Lily"  
"Ok, ok, I'll play." Lily said, trying to conceal a grin. "But only because of the yummy chocolate." She said, putting emphasis on the last word so that Ella didn't think she stopped the sentence with _yummy_.

"I am not taking off my clothes."

"Yes you are Dani, you suck at poker." Sirius said, grinning.

"How the hell do you figure that?"

"I don't know, wishful thinking I guess…"

"Uh, Dani, you _do _suck at Poker. Remember the time when we were at Lily's house and-"

"Shut up El, Sirius is gonna start drooling on my cushion if you say any more." James said, and dealt them the cards.

"Oooooo." The group hissed comically, when Ella was the first person to have the honour of giving up a piece of clothing. She gave them all pitiful looks. "Uh, guys, it's just a sock." She said, and their faces fell.

"Oooo." They repeated, the tone disappointed.

"You know what, I think that this is going to be a long game." Said Sirius, getting up and walking over to his bed, grinning.

"Your point Black?" Dani asked, smirking. "Oh, what a nice ass you have Padfoot." She added sarcastically, when that was all that could be seen, Sirius rummaging under his bed for something. James groaned when he produced three bottles of Firewisky.

Ella seemed very bad at the game of poker. James was quick to point out that Remus seemed to be enjoying that fact a lot more than the rest of them, and was enjoying the game a lot more than when it had just been the four boys and no firewisky. Remus blushed.

"Well I, well I…" he stammered, not looking anywhere in Ella direction. "Siius, your deal.

Sirius wasn't listening. . His interest in the actual game was wavering, as Dani sat in front of him, shivering in the cool air with nothing more than a singlet top and shorts on.

"What re you looking at Black?' She laughed, taking another large swig of firewisky and grinned at him in a lop-sided manner,. Sirius let out a bark like laugh.

"Why Dani M'Dear I thought hat it was obvious that I was looking at you!" he said, loudly. Remus put his hand on Sirius' shoulder and pulled him back down to sit on the bed.

"Still playing Padfoot." He said, laughing. Sirius threw his cards up into the air and let them float back down, before looking around at the all in amazement. "It's just like snow!" he whispered excitedly. Lily grinned, as she outsmarted James once again, and he ripped off his shirt without shame. All the girls stared.

"Proooongs." Sirius whined, throwing his head onto his pillow. "Stop distracting Dani I want to flllliiirt with her!" Dani giggled, and James threw his head into his hands with embarrassment for Sirius, who was currently so intoxicated that he was incapable for any such emotion as embarrassment.

"I don't like this game." Peter said sulkily, his bed sheets strategically wrapped around him, at which none of the others seemed to argue about. "I'm going to bed!"

No one actually made any objection, and for the rest of the night all that could be heard out of Peter was a quiet "shut up!" from behind the curtains of the next bed.

It was evident that Ella was a novice in the art of firewisky drinking. She was giggling and dropping her cards. Whenever Remus would catch her eye she no longer blushed furiously, but grinned and even managed to give him a small wink, for which he was extremely shocked.

"James, James did she just…wink at me?" he hissed at James. James wasn't paying any attention. He was looking at Lily arrange her cards in her hand.

"Probably Moony, go with it."

"I can't go with it. She's off her face."

"No she's not. Well, not completely. Anyway, lily told, me she's liked you for ages." James whispered back. Remus looked as though he'd been slapped in the face with shock, and he seized the next opportunity that came along.

"I cant remember what this card is even four. But he looks funny." Ella said, giggling and poking the person on the card. Remus moved around behind her, and put his hands over hers so that they were both holding the cards.

"That ones a king El. See, put it with this one and put it down ion the bed." He whispered in her ear. Ella didn't say anything, only noticed that if she looked sideways Remus Lupins face was remarkably close to her own…

"You have pretty eyes Moony." She said in a happy singsong voce that only he could hear. Then she kissed him, lightly. Remus grinned, a rapid fire blazing inside of him, and Ella grabbed his hand.

"We're going for a walk!" she said bravely, holding his hand in the air and grinning around at their friend's shocked expressions.

She led him out of the dormitory, and it wasn't until the tuneless chant of "I'm going for a walk with Remus!" repeated over and over again had faded completely away did the game begin again.

The numbers where down now Only Sirius, James, Lily and Dani were left, and Sirius hardly counted as playing, for he was busy playing games with the characters on the cards…

"And then the king said to the queen, 'hey, you are hot. Want to go and snog in the broom cupboard.' And the queen said, 'hell yer!' and then" he pushed the two cards together so that they were 'kissing' and made weird noises with his lips.

"Dani!" he said, throwing his head down on her lap so that he was looking u at her face.

"What do you want sexy?" she asked boldly, having had quiet a few herself.

"I want to hold your hand!" he said, giving her puppy dog eyes.

"No silly! That's cheating!" she said, hitting him on the head playfully.

"Noooooo. Not your cards. Your actual HAND!" he whined, and Dani beamed.

"Ok!" Lily and James looked at them, in an awkward position, holding hands while still trying to maintain that they were playing the game, by holding their cards as well.

"Dani!" Sirius said in the same whiny sing song voice that he had begun adopting.

"Padfoot?" she said, mimicking him.

"Dani I'm hungggry."

"Want to go to the kitchens?"

"Ok! Maybe the house elves will give us more alcohol and more firewisky and more firewisky!" he said, excited.

"OK!"

"They ran down threw the common room, taking James' invisibility cloak.

"Hit me."

Said Lily, as James dealt another card.

"Hit me…"

"Hit me."

"Hit me…"

They looked down, confused, at the pile in front of them.

"We ran out of cards!" Lily said, staring in confusion.

"You've got to know when to hold them Jamsie." She said matter-of-factly, nodding stupidly at him. James kissed her.

"Can I hold you now then?"

"That was a pretty bad line Potter." She said, in the same tone.

"Ok then, but can I still kiss you?"

"Is this because we're barely wearing anything and fairly drunk James?" she asked, giggling at him stupidly.

"No no, this is because you are puuuurty." He said, smiling at Lily.

"Oh! That's very nice of you! Ok then!"

James leaned forward, and finally kissed Lily Evans. Lily gasped, because she felt something that was much more than the result of a drunken game of poker, and much, much more than she would have expected of James Potter.


End file.
